10 questions about WashU...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>I'm down to my last two schools, so I'm asking around...</p>

<ol>
<li>About how much do you study? (I'm not really sure what I want to do, so anybody from ArtSci and any computer science majors, it would be appreciated...)</li>
<li>How much bigger is a modern triple than a modern double?</li>
<li>How much food does the medium meal plan get you? I'm having such a hard time converting points to actual food intake...</li>
<li>How hard is it to get away from everybody and just be on your own for a while?</li>
<li>Is there a reason that college prowl.er (why so jealous, CC?) mentions "Korean techno and glow-stick parties"? Because I'm very interested but haven't found any other mentions.</li>
<li>How many students are LGBT?</li>
<li>How many opportunities are there in the humanities that don't focus on the west?</li>
<li>How much difference in cost is there between living on-campus and living off? (I know I can't as a freshman, but for when I'm an upperclassman...)</li>
<li>Would you recommend doing launch?</li>
</ol>

<p>And then a random question... Has anybody else mentioned WashU, actually recited the whole name, and then been asked where it was anyway? I feel worried about humankind when I think about this...</p>

2

<p>^hahaha, I get that ALL THE TIME about being asked where WashU is, and i’m also from a DC suburb (northern VA). “Is it in Washington… or St. Louis?” at least 75% of the time I mention it hahahaha.
anyway… as for all of your actual questions, I’m not a current student so I don’t know much about any of them because they’re pretty specific. I was just sort of looking for helpful info, cuz WashU is also one of my last three choices.
Best of luck with your decision!</p>

3

<ol>
<li>I’m in compsci, not much studying in those classes - its all lab work. But it depends on your other classes</li>
<li> Depends…I’m in a moden triple, and its pretty huge. There are a couple that are MASSIVE. Overall, you wont be cramped in either.</li>
<li>I got the smallest one and have $800 extra ._. I’d say get the smallest one - you can always add more points later, and adding them is cheaper than getting a larger meal plan.</li>
<li>Yeah, a little bit, depends on your roommates, really. But most floors have a common room + 2 study rooms, so theres space.</li>
<li> uh…idk? that was big at my high school, lol.</li>
<li>No clue, but there are a bunch of active student groups. I feel like there are quite a few.</li>
<li>I’m not sure what you mean by this? You mean classes on foreign countries?</li>
<li>I’m pretty sure off-campus is cheaper</li>
<li>yes!</li>
</ol>

4

<p>collegeprowl3r.com consists largely of a very vocal minority. You can find truths on the website, particularly with facts, but when it comes to the opinions a lot of false information and untrue stereotypes leak through. Use with caution.</p>

5

<p>3- as already said, always get the smallest plan. don’t worry about the conversion- you get used to it really quickly. And it really is different for everyone (I know people on the same plan that end with +300 points and others with -300). But smallest is the best (since you can then switch to campus card, which is cheaper).</p>

<p>4- you can do that whenever? This is college. You’re not being babysat.</p>

<p>8- sooooo much cheaper. My apt’s lease for an entire year is $6000 including utilities. Compare that to a 9-month dorm that’s >9k. And I have my own room (a single) although I call my housemates my ‘roommates.’ Plus I don’t have to buy a large meal plan, so I save money that way too.</p>

6

<ol>
<li><p>3 hours per day - average? Some days will be more, some will be less. Exam season is much more. Your studying schedule will depend on what works best for you, which you’ll figure out pretty early on, and also depend on, as Ari7 said, what you end up studying, because there is really such a wide variety of subject areas here. </p></li>
<li><p>There are very few modern triples that are dedicated as such. Unlikely you’ll get one. FWIW, I knew someone who was in a double room in Lien (a new dorm) with three people. That room ended up having it’s own bathroom, though, so it wasn’t bad - it wasn’t connected to another dorm room. 95% of kids won’t be in one.</p></li>
<li><p>Agree with Ari7 again, but to add… unless you are a football player, don’t get the large meal plan. The small meal plan will still get you 3 meals per day, but not as much left over for snacks or random things at the market. Medium plan has more allowance for that stuff. </p></li>
<li><p>Easy. Could be off-campus in a coffee shop, on-campus in a nook in one of the 10 libraries, in a classroom building on a bench late at night, or in one of the billion little quads and green spaces on campus. Or in a tree. There are places. </p></li>
<li><p>Chancellor Wrighton invented glowsticks. Not really, but it’s a common urban legend on campus. He does have a patent for some luminescence thing, though. </p></li>
<li><p>Hard to say a percentage. Wash U is so laid-back and welcoming that you’ll be fine if you are LGBT, if that’s your question. There were two or three out students on my freshman floor and I have a few friends myself who are. I’ve never heard anyone talk badly about LGBTs. The fraternities even, notably one or two specific ones, are quite welcoming of gays. There is Pride Alliance which is pretty active if you are more of the activist-oriented person; they put on a gay prom and various events. There is an “LGBT coordinator” staff person and every building is one of those “safe zones” that you see on other campuses. It’s hard to really describe the LGBT community as an entity, because it doesn’t seem to be as “defined” here. Not because of a small size or anything, it just really isn’t a big deal at all.</p></li>
<li><p>If I’m understanding your question correctly, there is a pretty significant amount of non-western humanities studies. There are majors in Jewish/Islamic/Near Eastern studies, African studies, Korean studies, Latin American studies, and Russian studies ([Areas</a> of Study | Arts & Sciences](<a href=“Explore Academics | Arts & Sciences”>Explore Academics | Arts & Sciences)). Of course, there are the foreign languages, all of which have literature and culture courses in that language. The International Studies department has a bunch of concentrations in specific regions and areas. Lastly, there is a Comparative Literature department, where you can concentrate in comparative lit or comparative arts. I’d say this should be the one to check out first. [Undergraduate</a> | Comparative Literature](<a href=“http://complit.artsci.wustl.edu/programs/undergraduate]Undergraduate”>http://complit.artsci.wustl.edu/programs/undergraduate)</p></li>
<li><p>You can easily find a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment within walking or biking distance to campus for +/- $1000 per month. Split 2 or 3 ways = very cheap. St Louis actually has a great deal of cool, pre-war apartments that in Chicago or New York would cost 3x as much. You’ll save money in the long-run, even if you factor in utilities, groceries, and the fact that an apartment lease is 1 full year and the dorms are just the academic year.</p></li>
<li><p>I didn’t do Launch, but I believe it’s the largest pre-o program and people seem to have a great time on it. I’d recommend doing any pre-o program, really. Haven’t heard negative things said about any.</p></li>
</ol>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>I’m from an area out east that sends a lot of people to Wash U. In my high school and towns nearby, Wash U is one of those “it” schools. When asked the question “where did you apply to colleges,” Wash U is mentioned along with the Ivies with a straight face. Some other areas of the east coast are similar, and I’m sure most of the midwest is… but you will, admittedly, have a higher proportion of blank stares in some areas of the country than others. Then again, do you plan to work in New Mexico? May not even matter if you went to Harvard in some places. St Louis residents think Wash U is Harvard. Not Harvard of the midwest… but, legitimately, think it is Harvard. </p>

<p>I’ve been given a blank stare by a couple extended family members, but they are people that also couldn’t tell you if Brown was an Ivy. Honestly, these occasions can be nice, as there is no judgment coming from the person when you mention your college’s name. Brings you down to earth. I like that about Wash U. </p>

<p>When you are talking to students from other top colleges (and increasingly “regular” colleges), graduate schools, companies, recruiters, etc - Wash U is recognized as an elite school.</p>

8

<p>Thanks, guys, this is awesome!!! :)</p>

<p>@jgorman: nice :stuck_out_tongue: I’m from MD, but I live in the County of Ridicule, so I wasn’t sure if that was just the people here or what. Good luck with your choices too!</p>

<p>@Ari7: 3. This was more a question of curiosity than anything else. I wanted to buy the smallest meal plan, but it turns out freshmen aren’t allowed to do that, so I’m kind of stuck with the middle one…
7. Not exactly. I keep coming across these classes on “world literature” that focus entirely on Europe (e.g. the Greeks, the Romans, so on and so forth) because that’s kind of where the US came from and so we tend to think it’s more important. But I want a world literature class that’s actually WORLD literature- if Socrates is in there, the Ramayana should be too. (Just an example, I’m not really talking just about classes in world literature- and, if you continue in the vein of the example, a class just in eastern literature would be good too, provided that the texts are in English and it’s not meant mainly for majors.)</p>

<p>@fallenangel- the exact same thing can be said about College Confidential (or practically any other opinion-based site on the internet). I know that not everything on there is true, so I decided to check if people knew anything about something strange that they mentioned.</p>

<p>@Johnson: 3. Like I said, that question was mostly idle curiosity at this point. I wanted the smallest, but freshmen can’t have it, so I just wanted to know how much food I’d be getting.
4. I meant ‘how hard is it to find a place where nobody else is’…</p>

<p>@vbball: 2. I think I’m asking for one, not just worrying about it and dreading being put in one. Is it still unlikely that I’ll get one?
5. Hahahahahahahahaha
8. That sounds lovely :slight_smile: thanks!!!</p>

<p>@flashmountain: This definitely isn’t my problem, and I know all that (except for maybe the Harvard parts, which make complete sense, I just never bothered to think about it). My issue (much smaller, hahaha) is when you say to somebody, “Washington University in Saint Louis,” and they go “oh, where’s that?” It’s in Saint Louis! I just told you that! It’s right there in the name! I mean, really??</p>

<p>Thanks again, everybody :D</p>

9

<p>re. 4- there are tons of places on campus you can go where you’re alone. I have 2 or 3 of my own ‘pockets’ like that.</p>

10

<p>wulfran-</p>

<p>Did you have a specific interest in non-western humanities? Let me/us know if you have a specific interest in mind, and we can hopefully help you out a little bit more regarding which classes/minors/majors etc are available and our honest comments on them! Again, comparative literature/arts would be a good start, coupled with a language or linguistics or something, but there is more out there. good luck!</p>